How Can Teachers Help Reverse Underachievement?

Gifted students do need specially trained teachers in order to reach their full potential. If teachers are aware of how to properly educate and motivate gifted students then underachievement may not occur. Clark (2013) suggests that a teacher can help by:

showing high-ability students that you value their achievements

assessing each student regularly

providing opportunities for student to build their self-concept

creating a responsive learning environment

giving the underachievers an opportunity to focus on an area of their ability

being available when help is needed

establishing daily/weekly/monthly written contracts for completed work and using student portfolios for reporting

allowing students to evaluate and grade their own work immediately upon completion

looking for ways to meet individual needs

involving parents in school activities

offering college and vocational guidance early and helping the students understand the relationship of higher education to current coursework. (p 279)

Teachers can help an underachiever become an achiever by allowing gifted students to be different in the classroom and not be like the average student. Teachers of gifted students need to allow students to be creative in thinking and problem solving and be willing to go outside the standard curriculum to tap into what students are interested in learning. (Smutney, 2004) The classroom teacher can help a gifted student become an active participant in the classroom by changing strategies in the classroom. A report published by Emerick (1992) found that many students reversed their underachievement when the teachers appeared to like the student individually, when the teacher was enthusiastic about the topic, when the teacher and student worked together in the learning process, and when the teacher had high and realistic goals set for individual students. Many of these changes of teachers’ attitudes and ideas are small and easy changes that can be implemented in a classroom; however, teachers must be informed of these practices in training. If teachers are trained on nurturing gifted students’ knowledge and how to create a stimulating classroom environment, then gifted students would progress forward in their abilities and not regress. Enlightening teachers on the effect they have on gifted students’ success could solve many classroom problems that gifted students may experience (Baum, S. M., Hebert, T., & Renzulli, J. S., 1995) Since teachers can sometimes have the most influence on how a child feels about their ability and potential, teachers should be aware of the best ways to have positive impacts on their students.